Courtesy the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

(November 3, 2010) It’s too early to tell what kind of impact the addition of ESPN national programming to Fox Sports Radio 970 will have in the Pittsburgh market. It could be major. It could be minor.

* Clear Channel, the owner of what will be known as 970 ESPN, might have taken on the ESPN programming for no other reason than to be a nuisance to The Fan, the No. 1 rated sports-talk station in the region.

Clear Channel is the radio giant in the region with six station, including 970 and ratings leaders WDVE and WXDX. The CBS Group, which owns the Fan and three other stations, is Clear Channel’s only major rival in the Pittsburgh market. Clear Channel might have added ESPN programming only to take away a few ratings points from The Fan. In other words, strictly a business decision.

* Or this could be the beginning of serious competition between the two radio behemoths. In the past, Clear Channel has been willing to take low ratings numbers on 970 and use it as a station where it can run its coaching shows and auxiliary programming while providing little original content.

It seemed to break from that mold ever-so-slightly when it added ``The Greg Linnelli Show’’ to morning drive, giving it a second original program to go with ``The Joe Bendel Show.’’

(The Tunch Ilkin and Craig Wolfley show, heard during football season, is an independent production.)

But now Linnelli is off the air, although in an understandable move to be replaced by the popular ESPN offering, ``Mike and Mike in the Morning.’’

But will there be a next move by Clear Channel?

By that I’m talking about a major program to compete with The Fan. Stan Savran comes to mind. If Clear Channel hires Savran after the first of the year and puts him on at 10 a.m., then we’ll know they are serious because Savran does not come cheap and he will offer legitimate competition to The Fan.

The midday slot would be best for Savran. The morning drive is filled with Mike and Mike and afternoon drive is dominated by Mark Madden on WXDX. Savran could make a run at ``Vinnie and Cook,’’ which is The Fan midday offering.

If this happens, do not expect a return of Guy Junker with Savran. Junker’s duties as WTAE sports director would legislate against him. Nor would Clear Channel be eager to pay two high-profile personalities when it only has to hire one. If Savran teams with anyone it will be Linnelli.

For the moment, ESPN 970 is an upgrade in the Pittsburgh market in that it will keep ESPN national programming in the region when 1250 ESPN leaves the air Dec. 31.

But for it to be anything more than a blip in the ratings, Clear Channel will have to add more to the 970 lineup.

* * *

Here are the results, as of 3:30 p.m. today, of a post-gazette.com survey of where people will turn now that ESPN 1250 had ended local sports programming.

Fox Radio: 7 per cent

WXDX: 10 percent

KDKA: 13 percent

93.7 The Fan (KDKA-FM): 22 percent

Nowhere. I'm mad: 11 percent

Who cares? 37 percent

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